Page:Dead Souls - A Poem by Nikolay Gogol - vol1.djvu/104

92 From his tanned face it might be gathered that he was familiar with tobacco smoke anyway, if not with that of gunpowder. He gave Tchitchikov a polite bow, to which the latter responded with equal politeness. Within a few minutes they would have probably been talking freely and making acquaintance, for the ice had already been broken and they were both almost at the same moment expressing their satisfaction that the dust on the road had been completely laid by the rain of the previous day, and that now it was cool and pleasant for driving, when his dark-haired companion walked in, flinging his cap down on the table, and jauntily ruffling up his thick black hair with his fingers. He was a fine, very well made young fellow of medium height, with full ruddy cheeks, snow-white teeth, and pitch-black whiskers. He was as fresh as milk and roses, his face looked simply bursting with health.

'Bah, bah, bah!' he exclaimed, flinging wide his hands at the sight of Tchitchikov. 'How did you come here?'

Tchitchikov recognised Nozdryov, the young man with whom he had dined at the public prosecutor's and who had within a few minutes become very intimate in his manner and taken up a familiar tone, though our hero had given him no encouragement.

'Where are you going to?' said Nozdryov, and without waiting for an answer he went on: 'I have just come from the fair, old man. Congratulate me, I've been cleaned out! Would you believe it, I have never been so thoroughly